Jesse Rivest's Blog

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

My first experience with Calgary Folk Fest was rewarding and satisfying, overwhelming and inspiring, and fun and exciting! I truly would love to experience it again in 2007. Thanks to Brooke and Fitz for inviting me to get involved!

I volunteered with a great crew of people to set up and tear down the stage tents. It was exciting to imagine live music in each tent that we raised, and it was sad to drop each tent after the festival. We all worked together for a common love of music!

From Thursday to Sunday I all but slept at the festival! Non-stop music, great food, great people! Sometimes it was difficult to decide which stage to rush to as there were so many workshops and concerts to choose from. A few hightlights included Luke Doucet, Melissa McLelland, and Rachel Van Zanten.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, after the final mainstage performers, volunteers and performers partied at a nearby hotel. I "danced my ass off" to Doublestandart (with a special appearance from Ndidi Onukwulu), Aurelio Martinez, and Grupo Fantasma, and I met great people! I believe there were more than 1300 volunteers and over 65 performers.

I have barely mentioned the incredible and inspiring talent that performed at this festival... check out the Calgary Folk Fest link below and see the pics and the artist line up... I loved every moment, and I was sad when it was all over.